EKU Regional Campuses Offer Student and Community Aid During COVID-19 Crisis

Eastern Kentucky University’s regional campuses are offering student and community aid during the COVID-19 pandemic by donating medical supplies and utilizing their partnership with the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) and Teleworks USA to help combat unemployment.

The Manchester Regional Campus worked with Advent Health to donate 3,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) including lab coats, isolation masks, disposable gloves, and cotton-tipped applicators to be distributed by the Clay County Emergency Management Agency.

“Advent Health has been a long-time supporter of EKU and our community,” Terry Gray, director of the East and South Region Campuses said. “We were honored to support our healthcare professionals and first responders as they continue to keep our families safe and healthy.”

The Corbin Regional Campus also donated more than 2,000 gloves and masks to Baptist Health Corbin. Ramona Davis, assistant director of South/East Regional Campuses, will also be volunteering with local school districts to deliver meals during the schools’ spring breaks.

To assist students who have been unemployed due to the closing of non-essential businesses, EKU is utilizing its partnership with the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) and Teleworks USA.

The partnership was established to help the citizens of Manchester and Clay County find legitimate, full-time, remote-work opportunities prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Since 2015, Teleworks USA has assisted more than 2,700 Eastern Kentuckians in preparing for and earning remote-work job placements.

In collaboration with Gray and Dr. Melissa Newman, executive director of regional programming and regional stewardship, a Teleworks USA hub opened at the EKU Manchester Campus in October 2019. Under the management of Amy Nunn, 39 remote-work job placements and 40 digital economy training workshop graduates have resulted thus far.

“Eastern Kentucky University is committed to supporting our students in all aspects, especially during this time as many are adjusting to no longer being on campus for classes and work,” Newman said. “This partnership with EKCEP provides easier access to remote work training and opportunities, helping to support our students and community members.”

When the EKU campuses closed in March, many student workers were unable to continue their jobs on-site or at home. Communication with Newman led to the Teleworks USA hub at EKU Manchester offering three virtual hiring sessions on March 31.

The sessions provided information about Teleworks USA’s partner companies looking to hire thousands of remote customer service and technical support positions. Attendees learned more about the job profile, requirements for hiring, and how to apply all with the assistance of a Teleworks USA manager. The event was open to the general public, with space reserved in all workshops to accommodate EKU students who wished to participate.

“We currently have more opportunities in remote-work jobs now with our multiple hiring partner companies than ever before, even after the COVID-19 crisis began in early March,” Michael Cornett, director of agency expansion and Teleworks USA, EKCEP Inc., said. “At a time when physical work locations are being temporarily closed down due to concerns over the spread of the virus, the concept of teleworking is more well-known than it has ever been. Our partner companies, including some of the world’s largest Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies, are flush with job opportunities, and we’re working as hard as we can every day to grab as many of those opportunities for Eastern Kentuckians as we can.”

To learn about Teleworks USA and the remote-work opportunities available during the COVID-19 crisis and moving forward, visit www.teleworksusa.com. Follow Teleworks on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teleworksusato stay up to date on virtual hiring events and workshops.

To connect with Amy Nunn, manager of the Teleworks USA Digital Career Center at EKU Manchester, call 606-438-1533, or email anunn@teleworksusa.com.

Published on April 08, 2020